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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Privacy and system design issues for National Access card

The National Access Card Consumer and Privacy Task Force first report on architecture issues concerning the card includes 26 recommendations, most of which focus on privacy protection issues that need to be reflected in the design of the system. Force Report

The Government's response accepts most of the recommendations. Response

The Task Force has taken the Government's assurances that the card is not a 'national identity' card at face value, but part of the ongoing debate is certain to focus on the prospect of "function creep", after the card's initial development.

One thing that is clear is that there is a hell of a lot of work to be done to bring this initiative to fruition.

Federal Privacy Commissioner Karen Curtis has generally welcomed the report and response. Views from card sceptics are yet to be given much air time.

Minister for Human Services Joe Hockey told the National Press Club yesterday that card holders will have an opportunity to store data of their choice on the microchip - including such things as bank account details - and that this issue would be flagged for discussion in the next round of Task Force deliberations.

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About Me

Peter Timmins is an Australian lawyer and consultant who works on FOI and privacy protection issues in Sydney, NSW. He has Arts and Laws (Honours) degrees
from the University of Sydney, and has been involved in the FOI field for 25 years.Peter is an experienced public speaker and commentator. See In the News and Testimonials, and Career Summary for more details on background and experience.